Famous names, missing figures: what celebrity money really buys in European startups
Celebrity money in European startups often arrives with no disclosed figure. EU-Startups listed ten such deals in October 2026. In the most prominent, Kylian Mbappé joined Paris-based health insurer Alan in March 2026 through his vehicle Coalition Capital without revealing his stake. That same month Alan raised one hundred million euros at a valuation of about five billion euros, then four hundred eighty million euros in June 2026.
A famous name works more as a signal than as a cheque. A seat in a multimillion-euro round does not mean the celebrity put up the full amount. Among the ten deals, only Novak Djokovic at waterdrop (a reported seven-figure sum) and Diogo Dalot at Bioniq (over one million euros) have individually attributed amounts. Leonardo DiCaprio's Barcelona bet, SolarMente, went bankrupt in April 2026.
Source: EU-Startups · October 9, 2026